Melanoma

What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma (mel-eh-NOE-muh) is a type of cancer
that begins in a melanocyte (meh-LAN-uh-site), a cell in the top layer of skin
(the epidermis). Melanocytes make melanin (MEL-eh-nun), the pigment that gives skin
its color.

Melanoma also can develop in other parts of the body, like the eyes, mouth, genitals,
and anal area.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Melanoma?

Often, melanoma begins as a mole or a bump on the skin. It's important to know
if a mole has changed in size, shape, or color.

Keep this ABCDE rule in mind when checking moles:

A for asymmetry: If you were to cut the mole
down the middle, would the left and the right sides look different?

B for border: Are the edges blurry and undefined?
Does it look like it's spreading sideways?

C for color: Does the mole look darker or lighter
than usual, or does it have an area of new color — perhaps black, blue, purple,
red, or white?

D for diameter: Is the mole larger than the
eraser on a pencil top?

E for evolving: Has there been any
change in the size, shape, color, or elevation of the mole?

Melanoma most commonly develops on the trunk, head, and neck for boys, and the
lower legs for girls.

What Causes Melanoma?

In adults, ultraviolet (UV) light can cause melanoma on any area of skin and can
make a mole more likely to turn into melanoma. UV light comes from the sun and from
the light in tanning beds. It usually takes many years to develop melanoma from sun
exposure.

When a child gets melanoma, sun exposure is usually not the cause. Kids who are
born with melanocytic nevi (large black spots) and specific kinds of moles have a
risk of melanoma.

Sometimes melanoma begins in an area where there is no dark spot or bump.

Melanoma happens when melanocytes stop working normally. Because of a genetic change
(mutation), they begin growing out of control, sticking together to form tumors, crowding
out healthy cells, and damaging surrounding tissue.

Who Gets Melanoma?

Risk factors that can increase a person's chances of melanoma include:

having a relative with melanoma or a family history of oddly shaped moles

age (older people are at greater risk)

having had melanoma before

Though less likely, people can still get melanoma even if they're young, have no
family history of cancer, or have dark skin.

How Is Melanoma Diagnosed?

The doctor will do a biopsy, removing all
or part of the lesion (the affected area of skin) and look at its cells under a microscope.
A biopsy shows if the cells are cancerous. It can also show how deep they are in the
skin, which can help doctors predict the risk of the melanoma spreading.

How Is Melanoma Treated?

Melanoma treatment can include:

surgery to remove the cancerous lesion

chemotherapy: tumor-killing medicines
are given by mouth, through an injection (a shot), or intravenously (into a vein)

immunotherapy (biologic therapy):
when doctors stimulate the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells

The treatment chosen depends on:

how big and how deep the lesion is

what part of the body it is on

whether the cancer has spread

Can Melanoma Be Cured?

Melanoma that's caught early, when it's still on the surface of the skin, can be
cured.

Untreated melanoma can grow downward into the skin until it reaches the blood vessels
and lymphatic system. This lets it travel to distant organs, like the lungs or the
brain. That's why early detection is so important.

Can Melanoma Be Prevented?

Most childhood types of melanoma can't be prevented because they are due to a mutation
(change in a gene).

The most important way to prevent melanoma from developing later in life is to
limit kids' and teens' sun exposure.

Keep kids younger than 6 months out of the sun entirely, because their skin is
so sensitive. If any skin must be exposed to the sun, use a small amount of sunscreen
on those parts, such as the face and hands.

Kids 6 months and older should use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every day.